Ranking Taylor Swift's Self-Directed Music Videos: A Critic's Selection

Taylor Swift, celebrated as a singer, songwriter, producer, and director, continues to expand her creative portfolio. Ahead of her anticipated feature film directorial debut, Swift has honed her skills through numerous music videos, many of which she directed herself.

Since 2019, Swift has personally directed 14 of her music videos, three in collaboration and 11 entirely solo. These visual works span across albums including Lover, folklore, evermore, Midnights, Red (Taylors Version), The Tortured Poets Department, and The Life of a Showgirl. Her directorial efforts have earned her significant acclaim and awards.

Among her five MTV VMA Video of the Year wins, four were for videos she directed: You Need to Calm Down (co-directed with Drew Kirsch), All Too Well: The Short Film, Anti-Hero, and Fortnight featuring Post Malone. Additionally, her first solo directing project, The Man, won Best Direction at the VMAs, a feat later repeated by All Too Well, Anti-Hero, and Fortnight. All Too Well also secured the Grammy for Best Music Video in 2023, while Fortnight received a nomination in 2025.

Swifts directorial style ranges from fantastical to intimate. The video for Lover opens with a symbolic transformation, visually representing a departure from her previous era, featuring Brendon Urie as a contrasting character in a vibrant, effects-rich setting. In cardigan, filmed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift navigates an antique landscape alone, eventually emerging into the sea and returning home to a cozy, emblematic sweater.

The follow-up, willow, continues the narrative in a dusty attic, introducing mystical elements and a romantic storyline, showcasing Swifts seamless transition between albums and videos. Her celebration of LGBTQ allyship in You Need to Calm Down features appearances by high-profile celebrities, with Swift addressing gender double standards through playful, self-aware imagery.

Swifts visually ambitious projects extend to Karma, set across land, sea, and sky, and I Can See You, a cinematic adventure where Swift, assisted by young actors, is freed from a museum vault. The Life of a Showgirl further demonstrates her narrative skill, portraying a Cinderella-like story with opulent, fairytale-inspired aesthetics.

Other notable works include Lavender Haze, highlighting progressive casting and romantic intimacy, and Fortnight, exploring fleeting love with Post Malone in a noirish style, featuring nods to iconic cultural references. In The Fate of Ophelia, Swift presents a visually elaborate journey through showgirl archetypes, capturing the bittersweet dynamics of a doomed romance with Sadie Sink and Dylan OBrien.

Throughout her 14-minute visual storytelling, Swift blends personal emotion with universal themes, using her music videos as a canvas for cinematic expression, narrative innovation, and cultural commentary.

Author: Lucas Grant